When Xenite Shippers Unite
by D-Exphagus
Summary: Santana, a teen with a love for all things Xena meets Brittany online. They discuss their mutual love for their heroines on TV and alternate fan fiction about their ship. What happens when their obsession turns into attraction when they begin exchanging emails?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note :

I know I really shouldn't be starting a new fic - but it's 3 am and I couldn't sleep. So when this came into my mind, I just had to type it out. It combines my love for all the things that I've shipped since I've discovered the world of fan fiction.

Anyways, hope you enjoy! Lemme know what you think!

* * *

See, the thing is, I really liked Xena : Warrior Princess. Sure, that absolutely made me a geek, but what the heck, I didn't care.

Actually, it wasn't really Xena I was into. No. I was more into blondes and Gabrielle - well, let's just say that she fit the bill more than Xena ever did.

So it wasn't all too surprising when I found myself searching the Internet for all things Xena related before I finally stumbled into the world of fan fiction. Oh sweet lord, thank you for fan fiction.

And whoa ... What an eye opener that was. Two women can do that? So what I've been seeing all along in tv religiously every week wasn't just my own mind playing tricks on me? It wasn't merely subtext, but more like main text? What, you mean there are other people just as obsessed as I am with XWP? Wow.

So it definitely didn't seem abnormal for me to have found a Yahoo group for people just like me - people who were die hard fans of the show, Xenites we call ourselves, people who were also just as obsessed with fan fiction as I was because really, sometimes certain authors definitely write the story lines much better than the actual writers. You know, the TPTB - The Powers That Be? Jeez, really, you've never heard of that before? Lame.

And you know what else was extremely lame? The fact that Gabrielle chose Perdicus over Xena - like hello? Red shirt guy wasn't even hot. Puke.

So anyway, it's no wonder that I found fan fiction so addictive then. It totally filled in the abyss in my heart where X/G should be together. Yup. I was a die hard shipper all right.

It's also no wonder that I found the list to join that gave me real time unbeta-ed updates to my favourite writer's stories as she wrote. How cool was that?

So the thing with lists - large ones especially, was that the members were encouraged to introduce themselves. Oh you know, the usual nick and a/s/l? Oh. You didn't know that? Hmm.

So lemme introduce myself.

gabbyluvsxe4eva Santana Lopez/14/Female/Ohio

When the usual members replied to my post with the polite hellos and welcome to the lists, it didn't come as a surprise. What was surprising was a pm - private message, duh - from a xeluvsgabby4eva.

Well, lookit that. A perfect match to my nickname. Sweet.

So hello, I find myself exchanging emails with this girl - I think she's a girl - for a few days about your mutual love for the BGSB (Billous Green Sports Bra, you don't know, seriously?) and the breast plates, I find myself wondering just who I was chatting to. So ok, a/s/l it was.

Later the same night, as I waited patiently for my Hotmail inbox to chime, it did. And ahah! Finally. A name to your mystery girl (told you she was a girl) as well as a number to her ICQ. (It's 16238504 if you are wondering) Score!

Brittany Pierce/21/Female/New York

Oh crap. Did my previous emails sound too immature? Especially to a 21 year old? Damn. Shoulda asked earlier.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note :

Hello! I'm back. Just another short update to keep you guys at bay till tomorrow!

Please remember that this is a Brittana story and they are always gonna be end game!

Till tomorrow! Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Eeeyeah, turns out my initial fears about Brittany was just uncalled for. She was totally cool for a 21 year old. Not at all snobbish like my friends' older sisters that I knew of. So phew!

Anyway, so Britts and I (It's our thing, I'm her Sanny and she's my Britts) have been chatting for the past few days or so.

Every other night when I log onto the Internet in my allocated 1 hour a day every school night, I find her online and we would just chat for a bit. Mainly about Xena and Gabrielle. 1 hour passes by really fast especially if you're a slow typist. Luckily for me, I had taken computer classes when I was 12 - thank you mom - and I had excelled in those Super Mario typing games where you had to out swim a shark by typing correctly to make Mario swim faster? Awesome game that.

But Britts doesn't just get to use an hour on the Internet like I do. She's a grown up - living in her rented apartment in the Big Apple and she has access to the Internet whenever she wasn't working or in class. So jealous. I couldn't wait to grow up.

On the plus side, meeting Brittany was one of the most awesomest things - after FF of course - about being online. While she had the time to browse the what's new sections of the Royal Academy of the Bards and go through Lunacy's fic recs, I didn't have the leisure to do that in my measly hour I got to use the Internet. And, downloading was a bitch on dial up. I wish people would invent a faster connection already.

So we had a deal, Britts and I. She would scout through the fics and filter out the good ones (not only the ones with PWPs, you know? Plot? What plots? ... Fine. Smut. Happy?) and then just send me the link and I'd download it instantly to read. Because of that, my venture into the world of fan fiction even became deeper when I'd get so caught up in all the angsty and hurt comfort fics that I'd ask her to recommend. I'm a moody teenager. Sue me. I had no love life to live vicariously by. Xena was all I had. Really.

That's what I got on my end. What Brittany got from doing that for me ... I don't know. That's the thing. Brittany was just great that way. She'd be sweet to me, never talking down to me and really just always listened to my opinions like it mattered.

Like it didn't matter that she was just talking to a 14 year old nerd from Lima, Ohio. Brittany was really cool that way. I was an only child, so I really had no older role models to look up to. Brittany would've been the closest thing to a sister I had. Hmm ... Maybe we should do the whole cyber sister thingy. Too corny? Maybe.

Whatever it was, I felt like I could tell Brittany everything. So I did.

I told her about my first crush.

I told her about Quinn.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Quinn was a new transfer in my school. A blond - are you surprised?- green eyes, a smirk on her face. Hmm. She sounds a lot like Gabrielle come to think of it. Figures.

So I told Brittany all about it. I told Brittany all about the wonders and fears of my first crush. My first girl crush.

There I said it. My first girl crush.

It's not like I didn't know, really. I was reading slash alternate universe fics. In my world of fan fiction, that meant sex. A lot of girl on girl sex that I previously did not know about. And what I didn't know about, well, let's just say that was an awesome research site.

Hmm. These adults really should be filtering how I use the Internet more closely. But jinx, personal jinx! Not jinxing it no more! Touch wood.

So yeah, sapphic love. It kinda makes sense it would happen to me. It's not that I find boys revolting - well, I just think they're too immature. Like all they talk about was video games and farts and sports. Boring.

And I've seen the Ellen episode. You know? THE Ellen episode where she came out of the closet. Gave me a lot of strength to sorta admit that I may be a lesbian.

So I told Brittany that. Asked her what she thought about it. And you know what she said?

She congratulated me on being honest with myself. For not letting society define who I was and for not being in denial (but c'mon, seriously, I was totally into Xena, too much really, to even be remotely straight anymore).

You see why Britts is just so cool?

So I thanked her for her support and in my own naïveté, I downright asked her if she was gay too. Come to think of it now, those aren't the type of questions you ask your online friends, huh? Oh well. What's done is done.

To her credit, she did reply. Brittany always replied to everything I asked her. Even when I had stumbled upon the terms 'eating her out' various times in the many FFs that I read and asked her what it meant.

No. It never occurred to me that the answer would be online if I would've just searched for it. What do you think? There's a big encyclopedia out there for all these things? Get real. This is 1998.

So anyway. I think the term she used was asexual. Or was that pan sexual? I dunno. Labels confuse me. A lot of these fics that I read use those terms interchangeably, so in my head, I just assumed Brittany to be bisexual.

I mean, she did say its just the person she was attracted to and not quite the gender, so that made her a bi right? Hmm. I dunno.

Moving on.

Quinn. I've known the girl for a few months now - just slightly less than I've known Britts. Well, not known known, but you know what I mean?

And in these few months we had gotten closer and closer till I can really assure you that she seemed almost as into me as I was her.

This I told Brittany. And she was happy for me. Ecstatic even! She gave me all the advice needed to win over my girl and how to deal with the minor heartbreak I had when Quinn briefly went out with Sam, another classmate of mine.

So it only seemed natural that when I finally had the courage to tell Quinn how I felt about her, and have her say she liked me back, Brittany was again the first person I told.

I mean, after Quinn, who was now my new best (girl?) friend, Brittany sure came close. Right?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

Quinn was my girlfriend. Wow. Can you believe that? We had been going out for a little over 2 months now and things seem to be really honey-moony for us right now.

Brittany seemed really happy for me as well. I mean, the girl found the time between her classes and her job to even send me a congratulatory card through post. I mean, wow. I thought e-cards were the new thing now.

And yeah I know, not to give your address to strangers and all that, but in my defense and in Brittany's, I had to. They did not sell the Xena magazines here in Ohio (not anywhere I knew of anyway) and Brittany said that she could get it online for me if I could just bank in the cash manually to her monthly. She had a credit card. I was underaged. Enough said.

So every month Brittany sent me a magazine - usually complete with a personalized message in her loopy scrawl which I find to totally suit Britts sunny demeanor. Usually those messages also came with caricature of Xena and Gabrielle in various scenes from the episodes. Brittany could really draw.

Oh. I didn't tell you? She was an art major in NYU, and her drawings on our favourite ship was awesome. What was more awesome was that this current month's issue had the usual X & G drawings. Except this time, she pencilled in mine and Quinn's features in it. Quinn was the Gabrielle to my Xena.

Awesome.

I sent her a picture of Quinn and I earlier in our cheerleading uniforms. Heh. Bet you didn't see that happening either eh? Yup. I was a closeted cheerleader. Hmm. Maybe I was a closeted nerd in the cheerleader. But whatever it was, I was still closeted in a lot of ways.

Oh and one more thing - Quinn and I? How we got so close was because well, we were co-captains of the Cheerios. Our cheerleading team, that is. She did the dance moves, I did the music coordinations. Well. We swapped occasionally.

The things people said about jocks getting cheerleaders? Totally untrue. I got the girl in the end. Heh. Actually, I dunno how it worked, but I think Quinn and I both got the girl in the end. Cheerleaders at that. Take that, Sam!

And yeah. Since I had sent Brittany a picture of myself and Quinn, I asked for one in return, just to make sure who I had been confessing my life stories to was real, you know? I mean, I know she coulda just taken a photo from anywhere really, but what she did was to send me a photo of her student ID at NYU, so it had her full name with her face and everything.

And it must've been my teenage hormones talking, because damn, Brittany Susan Pierce was fucking hot.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

See the thing about being in love? It gets all your creative juices running. Like seriously.

Up to the point when I even actually tried my hand at writing fan fiction. Yup. Me. Fan fiction. It was also partially the show's fault, really. Xena kept dying and they kept mocking the entire Xenaverse with how straight they portrayed their supposedly platonic friendship. Damn TPTB.

Also, Brittany would also have to be blamed. She kept being all encouraging and what not. So it really made sense that when I completed my first draft of Chapter 1 of my first Xena FF, Brittany would've been my beta reader. We did after all, start this venture together.

I dunno if this was weird, but I never told Quinn about it. Oh, it wasn't like we were keeping secrets. We didn't. Quinn didn't really get my obsession with the Xena fandom. Brittany did. Obviously. That's how we met.

I just ... I dunno. I wanted something all by myself, to myself. But I was willing to share it with Brittany. She was a lot of help when she beta-ed my writing. And damn, was she a ruthless beta.

Pages that I'd written was sent back to me highlighted in all red - Britts really took her job seriously. So I took her advice - not all of it and I edited my fic and finally posted it up at the Academy.

I got some reviews, nothing really major, but it really spurred me on to keep writing. I dedicated my stories to Quinn, my muse and also to Britts, who, without her help, I wouldn't have been able to complete the fiction at all. The 2 blonds in my life. How did I ever get so lucky?

Speaking of which. I did. With Quinn. I was 15 now. So it was fine. And it was glorious. And obviously I told Britts about it. I had to tell someone. And she was my second best friend.

To say that I went a bit too much in detail would've been an understatement. I guess I was really excited. While Brittany didn't seem to mind - she's such a sweetheart - I did sense her awkwardness, shall I put it, when she replied my email later on that week. Ok. I should've toned it down.

So imagine my surprise when I logged onto ICQ on a weeknight after Quinn had left my house 'studying' (Biology, that is), I found an offline message from Britts to say that she had met someone and they'd gone for a date and he had kissed her goodnight.

That weird feeling at the pit of my stomach had to be the same thing Brittany felt when I told her all about my first time with Quinn.

Right?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

So turns out that while Quinn and I were dating - it was a little over 6 months now - Brittany had been seeing a coworker she had at the dance studio where she taught some weekend classes.

I know right? A blond who can dance and draw? That's like. So awesome. I wanna be just like Britts when I grow up. Not to say that she's old or anything. Just that l'm kinda young and naive and whatever.

So we planned to meet on ICQ to catch up. Since it already was the holidays, my mom let me use the Internet for at least 2 hours a day now, provided I've completed my house chores and all that first.

Back to Britts. While I gushed on about Quinn, she talked to me about Mike, I think that was his name and how they went dancing and walking along in Central Park.

I dunno why but the way Brittany described it, their dates seemed so magical. Maybe Brittany was the one with a flair for writing instead of me. That doesn't mean that I should start drawing, really. I tried. But I did no justice to the awesome beauty that was Renee O'Connor and Lucy Lawless.

Anyway, it made me feel that Quinn and I had such a high school relationship - that is, we 'dated' mainly just between classes and after school and on certain weekends that she didn't have church. While Britts and Mike? It just seemed more adult to me. Made me feel like wanting to grow up to properly experience dating life instead of what I had now with Quinn.

It was weird, come to think about it now that I didn't think that I wanted dating life to be like that with Quinn in the future. Huh.

Speaking of Quinn again, since the holidays started, Quinn had been missing in my life - her mom had sent her to the yearly church camp that she had attended and she would be gone for a good 2 months.

2 whole months without Quinn - I was lucky to still have the other blond in my life. She kept me sane when I was whining on about missing Quinn. We couldn't even really text. Quinn had those prepaid lines that was kinda costly so we kept out texting to a minimum of 3 times a day. Sorta like breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So now while I was just lounging about and thinking about my missing girlfriend and playing Snake with my phone, my computer beeped.

I checked the name in the ICQ and let out a huge grin when I found it was my Sugar Plum who was messaging me.

Oh right. Forgot to tell you. We were messing around in one of our emails about the sickeningly sweet food names that couples called each other and we settled on Sugar Plum and Hunny Bunny. Brittany said it fit because her initials were BSP.

Me on the other hand, was just so not a HB, but it brought a grin to Britt's face (or so I would imagine coz Brittany tended to use a lot of smiley faces in her messages to me), so I let it slide.

Anyway. When Britt asked me what I was doing and I told her I was just waiting for my phone to ring, she laughed and asked me for my phone number.

I didn't even give it a second thought when I typed it down for her. And no, I'm not gonna write it down here. Sheesh. What do you think I am? 12 or something?

So when the call came barely a minute later with an unknown number flashing on my screen, it would just have been normal for my heart rate to speed up right?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Brittany sounded exactly like how I thought she would sound like given what I knew about her in the cyber world where we were friends.

Brittany was all about rainbows and unicorns and being happy and all that positive shit. She was the ray of light to my dampening rain. When Quinn and I had fights, Brittany would be the one I ran to. She would let me rant and never judge. Brittany never ever judged me.

So it was only right that she sounded like ... Well, like sunshine would.

The whole hour passed by quickly when we were actually talking. I was surprised because really, the only person I talked to on the phone was Quinn and my parents when they phoned me to come back from Quinn's house. Not anyone else.

See, the thing about me, I'm an extreme introvert. I mean, yeah I am a cheerleader and all that, but I kept to myself. Low profile is much better than being all popular you know? Quinn was the half of that equation already.

So it definitely came as a surprise when our one hour passed without a single uncomfortable pause in the conversation at all. In fact, if my mom hadn't called me to have my dinner, I wouldn't even have noticed the time flying.

Brittany was so easy to talk to. I had never bonded with anyone quite like her before. We literally talked about everything. We discussed the most recent Xena-Gabrielle kiss on whether it was real or not (you see, many argued that it was Autolycus actually kissing Gabrielle - oh, never mind), we spoke about our school and Brittany told me about her work. I whined about Quinn and she told me about Mike. You know? Stuff girls talk about together. Geeky girls, but girls nevertheless.

I mean, it was odd that I was actually talking to an 'adult'. What was more surprising was that the same adult enjoyed talking to me.

So after we hung up, we vowed that we'd definitely keep in touch through calls more often coz it was nice just talking to someone, you know?

Was it weird that we kept in touch through commenting on each other's posts in the list? Or our 200 kb weekly emails (that's roughly 3 pages each time in Word. I checked!) or through her beta-ing my fictions?

And what about ICQ as well as the recent Friendster invite I got from her? She sent me the sweetest testimonial ever, addressed to the HB from SP.

Yeah. It was totally not weird now that we were also talking on the phone and texting each other. I mean, in this day and age, that's what pen pals do right?

Yeah. I totally didn't find it weird at all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It was about 2 weeks before school was supposed to start and I was excited because it meant that Quinn was coming home soon. I hadn't seen her in almost 2 months and I missed my girlfriend. I couldn't wait. I was so frustrated that the next 2 weeks would pass so slowly, making it agonizing for me.

So when I told Brittany about it in the many texts and calls that we have been exchanging in these past month since I got her number, she told me that she knew a way to help the time speed up faster. I was curious, of course I was. Britts had never steered me wrong before, and I trusted her.

When she said her family was coming down for a visit in Columbus (she was on her semester break as well), she asked me if I'd like to meet up with her during the weekend that she would be in town. Ok, so Columbus wasn't really my town, I was from Lima, but you know, Columbus was a mere hour plus drive away instead of the 10 hours it would usually take for us to drive the distance between New York and Lima. So of course I said yes. Who wouldn't?

I had to talk to my mom, of course. I was underaged. I didn't even have a driving license yet. I had to rely on my mom for transport to Columbus because I don't think they'd let a 15 year old take the bus herself even if it was for a short distance.

So of course I got grilled by my mom but since she already knew what I was up to in the Xenaverse (well, the edited G rated version anyway) and I had already told her about Brittany when we first started chatting, mom was ok and agreed to drive me to Columbus where I'd meet Britts for the first time.

No, I wasn't at all nervous, because you know? She could only be a paedophilic serial killer or something that preys on naive young girls like myself and like, she was an extremely good actress and had fooled me this whole time, but you know, it was Brittany. So nah, I wasn't nervous at all.

That's why when we agreed to meet in the busiest shopping mall in Columbus (mom's idea – I think she felt more comfortable if I were to meet Brittany in a crowded public place. Less likely to be kidnapped, I suppose. Who knows?), I asked Brittany to meet me at the KFC at noon. Sue me, I liked my chicken finger licking good, all right?

So at 11:50 am, as I was walking towards the KFC, I gave Brittany a call. From a distance, I could see a blond in a loose beanie dig through her bag and when she fumbled with the keys and picked up the call the same time that the call went through on my side, I knew in that instance that the girl I've been chatting with for the past year was in fact real.

In fact, she was so real that when I approached her and she stood up, her blue eyes lighted up more than it was already shining bright, I could feel my heart fluttering when she gave me a tight hug and an excited squeal that sounded mysteriously like my name escape from her perfect lips.

Nah, someone as gorgeous as this blond was definitely not a paedophilic serial killer.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

So school restarted and I was now in my junior year of high school. Quinn had returned from her camp and we had spent the first few days just snuggled up together, trying to make up for lost time. However, there was something different about Quinn that I could see. Maybe she managed to get brainwashed by the church camp after all. I tried not to think about it but instead tried to concentrate on the time we had left in the 2 years left of high school.

I told this to Brittany, who of course, assured me that I shouldn't worry too much about it. So as usual, I took Brittany's advice to heart. After our meeting about a month ago in Columbus, I now found it easier to talk to Brittany. Not that it wasn't already before. It just seemed better when we had a face to put to our chats. I mean, the picture that Brittany sent really didn't do her actual beauty justice at all.

But don't tell Quinn I said that.

Also don't tell Quinn that during our first meeting – Brittany and I, that is, Brittany actually paid for everything. I mean, I suppose her logic was that she was a working adult and I was a mere broke high school student on a weekly allowance from my mom. I tried to pay for coffee, but even then she had waved her credit card around and told me to get the next one when we do meet again when I had a job then.

I suppose that really made sense. But what was interesting was that Brittany was so sure that we would be meeting again, even if our lives were officially about 600 miles apart and that we'd keep our friendship alive even after Xena ended. And yes, it was true, the official statement from the producers was that the 5th season would be Xena's last. Britts and I had mourned the other day over the loss of such a great tv show.

During our meeting, I think because Brittany was just so sweet about everything, I tried my best as well to not be the kid that she just let tag along. I didn't feel like I wanted Brittany's friendship because of pity or whatever, I wanted to be mature enough for Britt to actually call her best friend without being ashamed of my age. So I did what I usually did when I was intimidated. I toughened up.

Well, that or you can say that I tried to be a sweet girlfriend to Brittany. I couldn't help it. I already said I was bad with one on one meetings – come to think about it, I am surprised at how easily I agreed to meeting Brittany even without the presence of a buffer, usually Quinn, in order to make things less awkward when there are pauses in the conversations. Hmm.

But anyway, I vaguely remember opening doors for Brittany, pulling out seats for her and even carrying her bag at one point – it didn't matter that I was in high heels and she was in flats. (I remember Britt mentioning something about her being a very tall 5'8" while I think I've stopped growing at my measly 5'3". Oh well.) Britt mentioned something about me being a perfect gentleman. She even hugged me goodbye and gave me a kiss on my cheek when we parted. I can still feel the flutter in my chest when I think about it.

Like I said. Me = hormonal teen. Brittany = gorgeous blond.

And like I said again earlier, don't tell Quinn about it. Really.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Brittany told me she had broken it up with Mike when they had both finished up with school and Mike went back to Taiwan where he had a contract to tour with some upcoming hiphop star from there or wherever. I didn't even know Mike was Chinese. Huh. Some kinda best friend I was.

Brittany wasn't too devastated, however, I could sense the slight dim in the sunshine in her voice when she called me, so I did the only thing a best friend living 600 miles away could do.

I looked online for retailers in New York and begged my mom (and lied to her that it was Brittany's birthday) and basically asked my mom to help me buy the damn girl some flowers to send over to her house.

Yup. I sent Brittany flowers all the way from Lima to New York. Daisies. Her favourite.

Totally don't tell Quinn that.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

After sending flowers to Britt what seemed like ages ago, but was in fact maybe about 2 months ago, Brittany sent me the most amazing gift for Christmas. I was lucky I remembered to send her a greeting card (not just an e card!) as well as a little gift attached to it. It was nothing major, really, just a small paintbrush set that I found on discount at a local thrift store that I thought Brittany would appreciate. Sending it by snail mail was a hassle as I didn't know if the package would've arrive safely or not. I hoped it would. Even if it was cheap, it did cost me my week's allowance.

But back to the amazing gift.

I was recently introduced to the wonderful sounds of Melissa Etheridge and Indigo Girls. You know? Lesbian artistes, basically. I blame all the fan fiction I had been reading. It seems like a bad cliche when all characters from Uber Xenaverse liked music from these 2 particular artistes. ME = Lesbian rock genre (Yes, that is a very valid genre) and IG = Lesbian Folk (Ok, so maybe that wasn't a real genre, but who's keeping tabs, really?)

So being the young teen that I was, I was easily intrigued. As well as easily influenced, I guess. I did a search for their music and managed to download (illegally of course) via Napster and Kazaa the discography of the 2 artistes which I now call my favourites of all times.

So anyway. Of course Brittany knew about these artistes – she was from NY, like hello? Enough said. We talked about it in one of our long emails as well and the next thing I know, I had tickets to the Lilith Fair concert for the weekend before Christmas. Well, technically, it wasn't really THE Lilith Fair – I was a bit slow on recent mainstream music, and I had only found out about the tours after it had passed me by in August, but this concert that I had tickets for was a similar one.

The artistes line up was amazing. Most importantly, it had the Indigo Girls in it. Of course I was excited to watch them live! And what was better – Brittany sent me 2 tickets, one for me and one for Quinn, she said, knowing very well I hated to go for events alone. Wasn't Brittany just the sweetest thing ever?

I suddenly felt bad about the measly gift that I had sent to Brittany. Those tickets must've cost a bomb even if Brittany had said that she managed to get discounted tickets because one of the dancers that she worked with had worked with some of the artistes in the line up and managed to get a special rate. And besides, the profits apparently went to charity, so Britts was fine with that.

Britts was also apparently fine with the little gift that I got for her judging by the awesome ear piercing squeal that nearly burst my eardrums when she called me all excited saying that she got a package in the mailbox today.

I found out that day that Brittany made me really happy and that in return, I really liked making Brittany happy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

So I forgot to mention that somewhere along the way, Quinn and I joined the Glee club in our school (mainly because we wanted to have an excuse to spend more time with each other sorta outside of school and okay, so maybe I did like to sing as well, what's your point?) and this year, we were good enough to get to go to Nationals.

What was awesome, however, was the fact that Nationals this year would be held in New York!

So yes, you guessed right. It's the same New York that's Old Amsterdam (heh, don't you just find that song so catchy?) that Brittany was in. Of course I called to tell her of the news as soon as I got it!

I didn't know who was more excited! Me or Britts. It had been almost a year since we met last summer and I was excited to see my best friend again and this time, to introduce my girlfriend to my best friend as well! It was going to be awesome, really. And wow, has it really been almost 2 years that I've known Brittany? It had to be, considering Quinn and I just passed our 1 year anniversary mark a few months ago. Wow, that makes Brittany 23 this year. Huh.

So anyway, at the theatre where the competition would be held, I searched the audience high and low for any signs of the now familiar blond head that had been plaguing my dreams lately. In my defense, I think in all my excitement about seeing Brittany again, she had started to invade my dreams. The fact that she appeared in a bikini in my dreams was probably due to the fact that I had watched a rerun of Baywatch before I chatted with Brittany right before I slept.

Yeah, that had to be it.

Brittany had an audition to attend the day I arrived so we didn't get to hang at all when I first arrived in NY the day before and I was a little bummed. Thankfully, Quinn more than made it up to me when we managed to convince Mr. Shuester that our loud snoring would just make our 3rd room mate Mercedes Jones lose her sleep and thus affect her voice, jeopardizing our chance at winning the Nationals.

Needless to say, we had the room to ourselves the entire night before.

Quinn came over and grabbed my arm before kissing the back of my knuckles, asking if I was nervous. I searched her green eyes and found concern, but I couldn't really contain my jitters as I continued to scan the crowds for signs of Brittany. Just before the emcee announced our performance, I managed to spot Brittany somewhere in the middle, holding up a big sign that said 'I believe in you Hunny Bunny!'. We managed to catch each other's eyes and for some weird reason, those blue eyes made my stomach settle and my nerves gone.

I smiled and stepped up to the stage where I would be starting the show with my solo.

We won the Nationals.

And then when I introduced Quinn to Brittany after the curtains had gone down, I knew life couldn't get any better than this when the 2 most important blonds in my life finally met and actually hit it off.

Or so I thought.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

I was wrong. Boy, was I ever wrong.

The year kinda went downhill after NY. I had 2 bad news, really. Kinda ruined the holiday for me.

Firstly, summer break was here and while usually, I liked the fact that I could just slob around and do nothing for a few months, preferably with Quinn, I couldn't this year either. Just like last year. Quinn opted to go for the damn church camp again. You know what the worse thing was? Judy (that was Quinn's mom) actually gave her an option this time around and Quinn ...

She leaves in 2 days for 2 months.

I didn't even want to think about it. We had an argument before and it just sucks all kinds of balls. It wasn't that I was asking Quinn to make the choice between religion and me, or even between pleasing her family or being with me, it was just like as if Quinn and I weren't on the same page anymore.

I resented the fact that I know for a fact that most of these church camps that they go to do not condone our choice of lifestyle. I found that extremely hypocritical for Quinn to be attending these things and it's one thing to deny our relationship, (I'm not out with my family but my mom more or less knows when she almost walked in on Quinn and I once) but to go overboard and seemingly agree when the church tells her that loving me was wrong?

I couldn't take it.

So, I called Brittany. As always, Brittany always managed to put a smile on my face. She especially put a smile on my face last week when she called to tell me that Xena had been picked up for another season and would only end in a Season 6 – which was like, what seems like ages away (which in fact was only a year away) and that, get this – our favourite author in the fan fiction world actually managed to write a script that was going to be made into an episode in the upcoming season.

How. Cool. Was. That?

But anyway, Brittany was going to graduate in a month and was busy submitting her final thesis or whatever it was these college kids did in school and she didn't really have time to talk to me. She did however, tell me she was submitting an application to intern/learn dance somewhere in Europe and that if she gets it, she would be gone from the States for 2 whole years.

I was thrilled for Brittany. I mean, that did sound like a dream come true – with an art degree in hand, but with enough talent to score an internship with a dance troupe without having proper qualification? Brittany must be a really good dancer.

A few days after Quinn had left, promising to call and text me daily like how she did last year, I was in a mess. We both basically told each other that we needed to have THE talk when she got back from camp. I was not looking forward to it at all. How had we drifted apart so badly in this year alone?

And a few days later, I got a call from Brittany. She had gotten the internship.

She was moving out of the country in a week's time.

Oh yeah, that was the second bad news if you couldn't tell already.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Summer break kinda sucked.

Yeah, really, it did.

I eventually found a job to pass my time – just working at a retail store at the nearest theme park. Paid horrible, but at least it kept me busy.

I went from having 2 constant blonds in my life to virtually none. Well, half, really.

Quinn and I were still together, but it wasn't looking good. Quinn was my best friend but anything more than that ... it just didn't seem to be working out. With each new day that dawns, it seemed more and more evident that our personalities were totally different.

And with senior year looming ahead of us, we both knew that there were going to be choices to be made regarding the future. I wanted to study creative (song) writing and Quinn wanted to be a lawyer. We had been looking at colleges, but hadn't really had THE talk yet.

Brittany, on the other hand. Brittany was just gone.

She called me from the airport and promised to text and email me once she got herself settled in Barcelona. That's in Spain, I guess. I dunno. Geography has never been my strong subject. Anyway, that was over a month ago. No word from Brittany whatsoever.

She had explained to me that hers was a travelling troupe – basically they travelled around Spain and Europe, I guess, learning the cultures on the way and giving performances every night. Maybe it was something like Broadway. I wasn't too sure. I had only managed to catch a performance of Cats once before and needless to say, I was creeped out. I was more of a dog person.

Brittany was a cats person however, and she constantly showed me photos of her fat cat aptly named Lord Tubbington. I briefly spared a thought towards the poor fat cat. He would definitely have lost some weight. Who was taking care of him now that his mistress was gone?

I sighed. Who was taking care of me now that Brittany was gone?

So anyway. A month has passed and no word from Brittany. I guess she either hadn't managed to settle in yet or that they don't have internet connection in Europe. Really? I wasn't so sure.

However, what I did know was the postcard I received about a week later. The postcard was of the weirdest looking building I've ever seen. I squinted at the wordings below. Casa Battlo, Barcelona, Spain. Huh. I flipped it over and my heart caught in my chest.

Neatly drawn in a caricature was a tall blond and a shorter brunette standing infront of the monumental church that was the Sagrada Familia (so I read up about Barcelona once Britts had told me that was where the first leg of her journey would be). The taller blond had an arm around the shorter brunette.

Neatly penned in the middle of the postcard was a scrawl that I could recognize in my sleep if I had to. My heart definitely clenched at the same time a smile broke out on my face.

Oh Britts.

I wish I was there too.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The next month passed by peacefully after that.

Quinn came back and Brittany finally settled in enough to give me a long (albeit still short compared to the length of our usual emails to each other) email just updating me about her life in Spain. Seems like she would be staying in Spain for another month or two before moving countries. She also managed to pass me a number I could call her in case of emergencies. Texts to an overseas number was expensive. I couldn't afford to text as lavishly as I used to while Britts was still in NY.

Nonetheless, I had a number now I could call if I needed. That was enough for now.

Quinn on the other hand ... what Quinn and I had was not enough. It wasn't like we were fighting daily, we just kinda drifted apart. Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt in mind that Quinn still loved me and vice versa but it just didn't feel magical anymore, you know?

So, a month shy of our would be 2nd year anniversary, we decided to give it one last try. If we could survive a month without arguing, we would keep trying to make it work between us even after high school. However, if we couldn't spend a few days without getting at each other's throats and end up making each other cry, then I suppose the logical thing to do was the let each other go.

When Quinn called me on our anniversary (we didn't even bother to make plans to spend the day together even when it was a weekend), I knew what was coming.

The break up was swift and mutual and I suppose that while Quinn and I are still friends, it was going to take some time before things would get back to how it was before we started dating.

Later that night, as I lay crying in my bed alone, I picked up my phone and dialled what has to be the most expensive call that I'd ever made in my life.

Britts. I kept repeating into the phone. I knew it was futile, and I knew it was a waste of money just crying into the phone, but just knowing that Brittany was there on the other side of the line and the world, it all felt better somehow.

Truth was, I needed Brittany more than I had ever needed Quinn.

Later in that week, Brittany bought an IDD card that afforded her to make calls back to the States at a cheaper rate (she was getting paid barely enough to cover her living expenses in Spain as it is) just so she could call me.

And throughout the rest of my senior year, that's what she did. She called me weekly for about 20 minutes or so and we'd update each other on our lives just to not drift apart and for the time being, it was enough.

And Quinn and I ... as time passed, we realised that we were much more suited as being friends – well, frenemies more like now that we had actually gotten close enough to bicker and banter with each other while knowing which buttons to push yet not crossing the line.

It was nice. It was nice having someone to talk to who I know knew me at a different level.

And that was enough. But yet, I still felt incomplete.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note : Condolences to all affected by the Boston bombings. Scary world we live in. :-(**

**On the other hand, hope you guys are enjoying this piece of fiction. Thanks for all the reviews and favourites/follows. Means a lot.**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Brittany had been gone now for over 6 months when I finally got my acceptance letters from all the universities that I had applied to. When I had told my parents about my choices for university, I didn't think they were too happy about me not choosing to be either of their professions. Dad was a doctor and mom was a graphic designer. However, they both gave me their blessings after I argued my case with them. Maybe I should've been a lawyer instead. Hmm. Food for thought.

Nah.

While sending out my applications for university, I had come across several programmes needing reference letters from a teacher or basically an adult not related to you. Instantly, I thought about asking Brittany. (I really wasn't interested in getting any referrals from any of my school teachers – perhaps maybe my cheering coach. While Sue Slvester could be a complete psycho, I knew she respected and even possibly appreciated the work Quinn and I had put into the squad while we were both the co-captains.)

So I called Brittany in Italy and shyly asked her for a referral. Within a week, there was a very long email waiting in my inbox that I attached to each application that I sent out. I skimmed through it, my cheeks flushing a little because I couldn't help but to feel like as if I was reading someone else's private thoughts about me. But these were Brittany's thoughts and Brittany had never ever been shy in relating how she felt about me and what she believed that I could do with my life. Brittany makes me believe in myself.

And so, I kept a copy of the letter taped up in my locker at school.

Our Glee club had managed to get a place at the Nationals again, and we were excited that we would be going to L.A. this time around.

L.A. to me was all about Hollywood. I had realised now that while I liked to write lyrics, what I preferred even more was music composition. So, logically, L.A. was the first place I had in mind when I applied to college.

Also, I'm a teenage lesbian. I watch the L Word. Enough said.

Quinn, on the other hand had already made up her mind to attend NYU – the same school Brittany had gone to when she was still in New York. She got accepted into their law programme and would be leaving straight after church camp after graduating high school in a few month's time.

Brittany was sweet to her even after she heard about the break up. What am I saying? Brittany is incapable of being anything but sweet. When Quinn had told me that she had emailed Brittany to ask her for a few recommendation on places to stay off campus, Brittany actually hooked her up with one of her ex classmates who promised to scout around for Quinn on the best locations and rental rates.

Even if we had broken up, there'd always be a soft spot in my heart for Quinn. I was glad that she was sorting her new life out in New York.

So anyway, when we went to the Nationals in L.A., I took the opportunity to scout around the local universities that I had applied to. I had been accepted into both UCLA as well as California State University and when I visited the campus of UCLA with Mercedes (remember her? She was THE diva of our Glee club), we were immediately enthralled with the idea of living in L.A. and living it up to the fame.

So we made a pact to go to L.A. together and while Mercedes would sing the songs, I would write the songs.

We didn't win Nationals our senior year, but it was ok.

I already had a plan.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

So I moved the last piece of box that I had into the 2 room bedroom that I shared with Mercedes right on the outskirts of the UCLA campus. If we played our cards right, this was going to be home for the next 4 years or so.

I plopped down on my bed in exhaustion - the last box I had moved actually had all of my Xena magazines that Brittany had sent over to me through out the years and damn, was it heavy. That, added with the limited edition autographed DVD box set collection of Season 1, 2 & 3, of course.

I was finally fully moved in. Yup. After a month of actually packing up my things from my bedroom in Ohio, I had finally moved the last box to its rightful position under my current bed. Until I could get to an IKEA that is. I needed me some cheap student furniture.

So the past month in LA had been great. I had settled in perfectly fine and with my Latina blood, my tan looked awesome as well.

Brittany had been gone for a little over a year. The last postcard I received was from Germany, so I'm guessing that's where she is right now. I really wouldn't know. Her emails have been sparse and short.

I had a corkboard where I had pinned up the referral letter from Brittany along with a photo that we took after we met for the first time as well as Britts with me and Quinn from New York. There were also a few pictures of my family and friends. And now it had Britt's postcard.

The past month has been uneventful to say the least. Being away from my mom's watchful eye was certainly different. One great thing was that I had almost unlimited Internet usage now.

However, with my lack of a love life and my missing best friend cum beta reader, I certainly did not have any interest to write. Oh hell. It's just as well.

It was really weird without Quinn. It felt like I had her for so long that it seemed almost odd not to get a text from her at all times of the day. Don't get me wrong, I think I love Quinn like a sister now - too gross? - but being 1000 miles apart right now seemed to take its toll on me.

I hated being single. And much more than that, I hated feeling lonely. Sure, Mercedes was good company, but at the same time, it didn't feel right.

I missed Quinn but yet, more than that, I missed Brittany. Truth to be told, I was a little angry at Brittany. I mean, I know she had to run off and experience life for herself and all that, but I can't help but to feel that she left me all alone.

Britts had been my constant since I was 14 and now 4 years later, I barely hear from her. I mean, I know I've only met the girl twice but I thought we had a real thing going on, you know?

For the first time in my life, I actually felt that Brittany treated me like a kid that I always thought I was in her eyes. You know, the kind you have to entertain because of your obligations but once you're out of the vicinity, you ain't got nothing to report to anymore?

Ok. Here I go wallowing in self pity. I know that's not how Britts sees me, just insecurity, I guess.

Guess I just have to suck it up and just go read some FF or something. That always tended to cheer me up back when I had my rough days.

I got as far as switching on the notebook that my mom bought for me before I left Ohio with the promise of always writing to her before I was interrupted by my phone ringing.

It was Brittany. Speak of the devil. Picking up the phone and finally hearing Brittany's voice again after what seemed like forever, I felt comforted.

And as everything slid into place as I spoke to my best friend, I felt at home in L.A. for the first time.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Mmm, time sure passes by relatively fast when you're having fun. Or so I'm finding out. Britts had been calling every other week since we both had moved - she was in Russia currently. Something about the boishoi or whatever.

College started a little over a week ago - we went for orientation night and all that and it all turned out to be one big hazing ritual once it was done.

Well, one good thing about college was the freedom that I got. It was so weird not to be in high school under my mom's watchful eyes no more. Almost liberating.

While I wasn't a social butterfly, I wasn't exactly a wallflower either. I had my share of friends. Especially now that Mercedes and I are doing a similar course, our group of friends from the same course seemed like a tight knit group.

Let's see, in these past week itself, I've been hanging mostly with Mercedes, her diva in crime, Rachel Berry and me with this really weird kid called Kurt.

Rachel was an obnoxious, loud (boy, was she loud! I thought Mercedes was bad!) and short little music major. She was definitely a gold star (as she called herself) - something about being a true diva like Barbra Streisand or whatever. I dunno. I blank out when she talks but tunes in when she sings. Rachel does a lot of both. I keep getting confused on which I should be doing.

However, I can't help but to snigger each time she called herself a gold star. You see, in my world, this is what a gold star is : a lesbian who has never slept with a man in her life before.

And since Quinn was my first and only ... I was pretty much a gold star. Rachel surely seemed too straight (and uptight even!) to have any gold stars next to her name.

Kurt on the other hand - way too gay for his own sake. He was the most flamboyant guy that I ever had the pleasure of meeting. It was quite weird really, the way we bickered about fashion and then made up with a song or two.

In some ways, he and Rachel were very much alike. But don't tell Kurt I said that. To be compared to Berry who had the fashion sense of well, no one really was quite an insult. It was no wonder Kurt was constantly trying to give Rachel a makeover.

Anyway, that was one group of friends. I had met up with a couple of other cliques as well during orientation.

That was how I met Puck. Little did I know, my life would do a dramatic 360 after that.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Hanging out with Puck has definitely been different. While it was notoriously known that cheerleaders prefer the bad boys, I certainly didn't quite fit in that category – considering I was indeed a cheerleader who was sleeping with her co-captain. Oh well.

I never quite had a lot of close guy friends in high school. I guess that dating Quinn sorta meant that I had spent most of my time hanging out with Quinn and only Quinn. But Puck was different. I mean, he was exactly like the idiotic high school jocks that I had avoided back in high school, but when you got to know him a little better, Puck was kind of a decent guy.

Of course I had told him straight away when he tried to hit on me that I really just wasn't interested and that it was me and not him. And from that instance, he had set me up to become his wingman. Since then, we had hit the bars a few times, with Puck trying to hook up with as many 'hot college chicks' (as he called it) as he could while we were still young.

After one too many sessions of way too many beers, I had told Puck that I was lonely and that I missed Brittany and even Quinn too, on some levels. Or maybe I just missed some companionship. Puck had vowed to set me up that night while we were out as opposed to me being his wingman while he scouted the club for potential hook ups.

So that was how I found myself in a bar with Puck and a few of our friends.

It had all started out innocently enough, with a few shots before heading to the dance floor. I vaguely remember trying to gain some affection from a certain blond who had been eyeing me the entire night. Puck had managed to convince me that by dancing closely with one of our friends (read : grinding) that it would make said blondie jealous and then she'd probably come over and I could leave with her. Or so that was the plan that had always worked out when we used to do that with Puck's hookups.

But perhaps lesbians worked differently. I don't know. I don't have enough experiences with them to know any better.

And since we came with Mercedes and her current boytoy, Sam (yes, the same Sam from school), Kurt and Blaine – gay men, enough said - and Rachel and her boyfriend Finn – both of which, I really don't want to be grinding to, my only option was to dance with Puck, who was out looking for a conquest of his own that night as well.

I usually did enjoy dancing with Puck, I really did. He was not a bad dancer (possibly not as great as Brittany, but then again, I don't think neither was anyone) and it was nice to be dipped and twirled around as opposed to the usual dancing I did with girls who didn't have the strength to support my weight.

It must've been the close proximity and the alcohol talking, but at that particular moment, life had never felt any better than being held by Puck, dancing together. Or maybe it was just the loneliness talking.

Whatever it was, when I found myself staring into Puck's eyes instead of the blondie across the room, nothing felt more right at that moment than wanting to feel all of Puck, if you get my drift. So, when Puck cocked his head to the side and looked at me in slight confusion ...

... I made the first move.

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Author's Note :

Hi all, I know I've probably ruffled a few feathers here - but have some faith, Brittana is definitely end game. :D Thanks for reading, ya'll.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

It was about 2 weeks after the club with Puck that I had managed to get to chat with Brittany online. Brittany was on a one week break in between performing for the bolshoi before she had to leave for the last country in her European gig.

Throughout the years that I've known Brittany, she's always the first person I ran to for advice. Brittany was in some ways, my role model. So, without further ado, I told her about Puck. I told her about me losing my gold star status privilege and my feelings about it. To be honest, I think in that one hour that I chatted to Brittany about it, was the first hour that I actually sat down to think about what had transpired between me and Puck.

So what had happened between me and Puck? It started with the blond in the club. Who, if I think about it now, resembled Brittany. Huh. Anyway, I was drunk, he was drunk, I needed physical contact and he was just there. It was consensual and he didn't take advantage of me whatsoever. So we had sex.

So how exactly did I feel about it? Confused, for starters. I had avoided Puck the instant my eyes opened from the sunlight glaring in on my face in Puck's dorm. He had been calling me ever since, but I had needed to figure out just what this meant before I confronted him and what we did that night. What I led him into believing that night.

It wasn't like I felt bad about it – from what I could remember about that night anyway. However, I was still confused. For the longest time, I was content with the label of calling myself a lesbian, so what does sex with a guy suddenly mean to me? Perhaps it was about just sex? I mean, I was still a damn hormonal teenager. And I suppose, I was a little bit curious.

It wasn't hard to see that Puck was good looking. In fact, if I had a choice to sleep with any guy, Puck would've been a good choice. It was just the fact that it was a guy that kept me up at night, wondering if the choices I made were a mistake.

Brittany was trying to help as much as she could. But basically she said that if I was comfortable doing whatever it was and it wasn't hurting no one, then there wasn't really anything wrong with it. It wasn't hurting me, but I don't know how Puck felt about it.

So anyway, she reasoned out that I was lonely – it had been a long time since I broke up with Quinn and if it was ok with me, then sex was just sex. I still preferred the company of women, but if it was just a one time hook up, then it was fine.

She offhandedly mentioned that dancers in the troupe did that on occasions to blow off steam and that it meant nothing coz it was just sex. Hmm, I suppose dancers were sexual creatures after all.

But I was intrigued. Did Brittany ever participate? I mean, hell, anyone could see that she was attractive, so who wouldn't want to sleep with her? And as a dancer, I'd bet she was highly flexible. If she needed help in that area, even I wouldn't mind helping her out. Hmm, I suppose I'm still quite gay after all.

Suddenly, images of Brittany in throes of passion hijacked my thoughts.

I didn't even dare going there.

* * *

Author's Note :

Don't hate me, guys. I was right when I said the last update managed to upset quite a lot of people. :( Not my intention, really. I had Santana go with Puck mainly to show a few things : she was a lonely teenage girl who'd barely gotten over her break up with Quinn and that she was a curious hormonal teenager that Brittany wouldn't judge. Also, it was the start of Santana's sexual awakening, so to speak. We see a more confident and 'take charge' Santana after this instead of always just letting things happen to her.

Anyways, thank you loads for reading and the feedback (even if it was to critique). I do appreciate the time it takes for you guys to get involved in this little piece of imagination that I have. Here's an early update to make up for the previous chapter. :D

Hope you enjoy! (Oh, and there'll be way more Brittana interaction after this, don't worry!)


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

To be honest, it wasn't like I hadn't 'gone there' before.

When I had first started chatting with Brittany, well actually to be precise, when I first found out that I liked (preferred?) girls instead of guys, I had always had it in my head that it was near impossible to find someone of my own kind, and that I was destined to be single forever. I was 14, my love life was really quite depressing then.

So when I first found out about the Xena fandom and Britts and I started chatting, in my mind, I had wondered what it would've been like to actually date Brittany. In my defense, she was the only other girl I knew that had the same inclination as I did, so of course I tried to put 2 and 2 together, even if she was indeed 7 years my senior and lived in a different state.

It was a nice fantasy that I had kept from Britts. However, that thought got scraped when I was introduced to Quinn. Correction, the thought got shelved, not quite scraped.

But now that I was single again, sometimes, the thought would cross my mind. I mean, if Brittany was living where I was instead of being in England where she was right now in her last leg of her tour, why not then? I find myself wondering if this was a classic case of me falling for my best friend. And I had eyes, so you've gotta admit, Brittany was smokin' hot.

Her latest postcard to me from England was actually a picture of her dance troupe in various ballet positions, with Brittany being smack in the middle. She was wearing a leotard which really left nothing to imagination and her make up was smokey and enticing. Needless to say, Brittany Pierce was flawless.

It was times like these when I'd start thinking again of what ifs about Britts and I. In these past 2 months after the 'Puck incident' which I call it now, Britts and I had gotten even closer, chatting almost daily. Ever since she had moved to London, it had been easier to contact her and vice versa and Brittany made sure to make her presence felt in my life.

And I liked her presence in my life even if it meant that I had to stay up some nights to chat with her, time difference be damned. She had about 3 months more to her tour and she'd be coming back to the States. Well, back to New York anyway. Unless of course, like she had reminded me, she had a better offers somewhere else.

And in these past 2 months, Puck and I had 'reconciled' – well, it wasn't really that we were arguing. Puck had felt really bad about the incident until I had reminded him that it was me who had made the first move, so he really shouldn't be beating himself up over it. Like I had said earlier, Puck was a decent guy. We were cool.

I had changed somewhat as well after sleeping with Puck. Maybe it was just a matter of confidence. I had been a really shy nerd in school but being a cheerleader helped in masking that fact but when I had gone to college, I had no uniform to fall back on. Brittany had made me realise that I had actually retreated back into my little shell.

It wasn't until she told me to live out my 19th year properly that I started to take notice of my surroundings and take charge of my life. I was still a little lonely – no one had caught my eyes yet in L.A. (it really wasn't as glamourous as The L Word made it out to be), but I was all right. It wasn't like I was sleeping around every week – but I wasn't wearing a chastity belt either. Only this time, I made sure that my hook ups had double Xs. And while we are talking about alphabets, some even had double Ds. Go figure.

I had sent a picture of myself celebrating my 19th to Brittany from the new digital camera that I had received as a gift from my mom and Britt's response was almost immediate. Now, on my corkboard, next to the dried flowers I had received from Brittany for my birthday was the picture of myself but with Brittany's words scrawled at the bottom of the picture.

'Gorgeous, as usual. Happy 19th Birthday, HB. See you in a few months. wink SP'

Well, I'll be damned.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

I didn't really have time to process what Britts had said earlier in the edited photo she had sent me. In my mind, I had merely assumed that Britts would be back in the US soon and that we would meet one way or the other. Her contract with the troupe should be ending just at the beginning of my summer break.

It was the finals for my first semester and damn if I was going to flunk it. Being in first year for my programme meant that we hadn't chosen a major yet, so the finals still consisted of quite a number of paperwork, which I dreaded. In other words, in these these part few weeks, I've been very self absorbed.

My friends and I were cramming for the finals, handing up assignments and at the same time, finding an equal balance between that and going out.

You really can't blame us. We were college kids in LA - like, hello, fake IDs and nightclubs. We still went out almost weekly. Well, Puck and I anyway. By default, even with what had happened between us, I was still Puck's wingman and we tried to meet up for a beer at least once a week, even if it was just to catch up.

So it really came as a surprise when during one weekend in the midst of re-watching Xena - err, I mean studying, when Brittany called me from London to let me know that she had managed to get an audition to appear in a music video by Nelly the previous week and the audition had went well.

She said that the managers at the record company had liked her and depending on the outcome of the music video, she may even be signed on for more videos in the same recording company.

Shooting was to begin in a few weeks – and Britts would have to miss the final days of her troupe performing in London because of it, but the pay off was good. She may be getting a contract for a few videos if everything went well.

The entire contract for the video was for a month, plus minus and Brittany would be required to attend the entire session at a location the recording company had chosen. While the contract would provide her a weekly allowance just to cover relocation costs, Brittany would need a place to stay the entire duration.

To say I was excited for Brittany would've been an understatement. Hearing Brittany's voice with such joy brought a smile to my face and I was too busy congratulating Brittany to hear what she had to say next. Or rather, the favour that she had called to ask me for.

What a minute. Relocation? Favour? Accomodation?

And then I realised what Brittany had been trying to tell me all along.

Brittany was going to be in L.A. for a whole month in 2 week's time and she needed a place to bunk. Brittany was going to be in the same L.A. that I was in and she's asking if I could let her bunk with me for a whole month.

Holy shit.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

I really didn't have much to time stew on the fact let alone process the fact that Brittany was going to be in town in the next few weeks. I mean, finals was currently on the way and I was still up to my eyes in assignments and what not. Thankfully, Brittany was due to arrive the day after my last paper, so that was one less thing to worry about.

Brittany had called me every other day leading up to her impending arrival at LAX at 9 in the morning. And since I had a car (another gift from my mom when I went to college – even if she was overbearing, that woman did sure save a lot for my education) that was old but still functioning, I had offered to pick Brittany up from the airport to bring her to my place after she landed.

Mercedes was ok with the arrangement. Most of my friends already knew about my cyber friend from my Xena obssessed high school days. Some (like Quinn), had even met Brittany when we went to New York that one time.

And since we didn't really have a functioning couch, I had offered to let Britts bunk with me in my room – I mean, I had a queen sized bed. And even if I have only met Brittany for a total of 2 times, she was hardly a stranger. Well, I suppose a stranger in the physical sense, but there's not a person in the world out there who knew me better than Brittany does.

And even if I found Brittany attractive, I trust myself enough to not grope her in my sleep or what not.

I hope.

But anyway. Britts was ok as well with the plan, she even offered to pay me and Mercedes a little to cover our rent the entire month that she will be there. So that was cool as well. I had intended to look for a part time job the first semester I was here, but mom assured me that I didn't have to and that I could just concentrate on my studies and let the adults manage the finances while I still could. I felt a bit bad, but after a few parties or so, I decided to just enjoy the rest of my teenage years before I'd have to grow up eventually.

I know that made me sound like a spoilt brat, but I was an only child of a broken marriage. Sometimes, that had it's perks. That, and a father who'd guiltily just send mom and I a few cheques every other month or so.

The next thing I know, we (my friends and I) were out celebrating after our last paper. We got drunk, went to a bar and adjourned to a club (yes, in that order. Cheap students : drink at home first). I was having fun dancing with a random blond that had been eyeing me the entire night.

I think I've come to realise the fact that blonds were totally my thing. I'm a bit slow. Especially after a few shots in me.

When said blond asked if she could come over to my place for more drinks, my brain suddenly wired back right up. It was already way past midnight and my place was a mess. There was no way that blond could come back to my place.

And there was definitely no way I could let another more important blond see the condition of my place considering she will be bunking with me for the next month.

I barely managed to say goodbye to my friends before I rushed out of the club to get back home.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

I think my mom would've been proud, the way I fully cleaned up my little apartment in less time than it would've taken me to get a manicure. Not that I'd know, coz really, what lesbians do you know that have perfectly manicured nails? Ouch.

So anyway, it was a little past 6 am and Mercedes had texted earlier to say she was going to be bunking at Sam's tonight. Or rather, Sam had texted and said Mercedes was way too drunk to be coming back tonight, so she was going to camp at his place.

Oh well, all the better then.

Not like Britts and I would need the privacy anyway. Right?

So since it would take about an hour for me to reach the airport, I reckon I had just enough time to take a relaxing bath and get changed and make myself presentable for Britts. I had to admit, I was a bit nervous to meet Brittany.

It wasn't like as if we hadn't met before – both times that I had met up with her, we had spent nearly a whole day together, just chatting. It was always easy to chat with Brittany – she had such a refreshing view on things that I found very different to my usually pessimistic view on life.

But this time would be different though. Not weird, just different. Knowing that Brittany will be staying with me for an entire month, it sorta made up for the past few years of knowing her but never getting to hang out with her physically. This would be the 4th year that I've known Brittany. I don't even really keep in touch with most friends from high school that I've known since I was 14.

So yeah, of course I was a little nervous. Brittany was one of my oldest closest friend. Heh. She was also my oldest friend. But judging from the photos that I've seen of Brittany lately – she barely looked a day older than me, what more 7 years.

Hmm. Perhaps when she's here, she can share with me some of her beauty secrets. Maybe we can also do girly things together instead of just watching Xena reruns all the time. Oh, who am I kidding? Brittany seemed like she'd pretty much try anything at least once with that free spirit of hers.

Even if I did know Brittany as well as I could know myself, I didn't know what to expect in this next month coz really, having an online friend and chatting to them is very different from actually having a friend to talk to face to face. In cyberspace, you can be as honest and brave as you can be behind the veil of anonymity. But in real life, there were so many other things to consider. What if she didn't like me as much in real life as she did online? What if she found me annoying? What if she doesn't like my room? What if ...? I really didn't know why I was so insecure all of a sudden.

And all these thoughts were just swirling around my head while I was driving to pick Britts up at the airport. Actually, it made time pass faster, really. I didn't have a reason to be nervous – I just was. I didn't even know what I was blabbering on about in my head.

I stood pacing nervously while waiting at the arrival gate for her to show up while holding up a sign that said 'Welcome to L.A., SP.'

I lost my track of thoughts when I first caught sight of long legs in a pair cut off shorts all the way up to the smiling face of my blond best friend. I swear a heard something that sounded like my name from her general vicinity. I didn't notice her lips moving to form the words, but you know, I was just busy staring into her blue eyes. Even from the distance, they were oh so blue.

Brittany took the few strides that separated us and stood a feet away from me and cocked her head to the side while smiling at me. She dropped her bags and held out her hands towards me.

She really was more beautiful than anything I remembered. And when she stepped closer into my personal space, I realised she smelled as good as she looked. The smell of coconut and vanilla will forever be ingrained in my mind as Brittany's scent.

I knew right then and there that it was all gonna be just fine. Brittany was here in L.A. and she gave the best hugs known to mankind.

* * *

Author's Note :

Dear all,

Thanks for reading this little fic of mine. Hope you've enjoyed everything so far. This story is about halfway through right now and the chapters after this will deal with Brittana finally being physically together.

However, I will be taking a short break from writing this fiction to concentrate on my other story. But don't worry, I should be back within a week! There'll also be a change in POV after this just to spice things up. We'll see how it goes!

See ya'll in a week or so! Thanks for reading!


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The first thing that I had really noticed was that L.A. was hot. Well, not really that hot, considering the pilot had announced that it was a mere 75 degrees Fahrenheit. It would be weird getting used to everything being in Fahrenheit considering I was in Europe for 2 whole years.

So anyway, I was glad that I chose to wear my shorts in the flight. Even if it meant freezing my ass up at Heathrow (the weather had been really cold in London despite it being the middle of summer) but it was okay – being bumped up to business class by flirting with the steward sure had it's perks, I got a free blanket and tonnes of alcohol to last me through the 10 hours that I was cramped up in the airplane.

I wasn't drunk or anything, but any nervousness I had felt about coming to L.A. certainly disappeared slowly with each sip of vodka lime that coursed through my veins.

I hadn't been to L.A. before. Surprising, I know, especially since I was a dancer. But I guess it suits now that my first real gig in the States would be at Hollywood. I really hope I got the contract coz being away from home for so long was kinda a bummer.

The plane had landed just on time and I was glad that unlike the many European tourists that had to queue up at the foreign passports line, I had to merely just make my way to the American passports line. Being in the shorter queue this time around really made me happy.

It wasn't like as if I didn't enjoy Europe – I really did. I had learnt so much in my 2 years there as a dancer with the troupe. So many people I had met and thanks to technology and the internet, I could now keep in touch with through the cyberspace.

Speaking of which, Santana should be here to pick me up. Santana. Hmm. The name didn't sound unfamiliar to my lips, having said the name for at least 4 years now. It was great having a face to put next to the icon of Gabrielle that Santana had used as an avatar in the first few months of chatting with her.

I was kinda excited to meet Santana again after all these years, she had been a solid constant the entire time I was touring. It's surprising, really, how well we could talk to each other. I remembered the days in the chatroom when the other Xena fans found out about her age and immediately censored themselves when they were talking about the more graphic fanfictions.

It was hilarious.

But after 4 years of knowing her and exchanging emails, it seemed that my first impression of Santana Lopez hadn't been wrong after all. She was cool – just a year younger than Haley, my sister. Perhaps that was why we could click so well, Haley kept me updated with all the ins of the current generation. The last thing I wanted was for Santana to think that I'm some adult who she couldn't be herself with. Especially now since I'd be bunking with her for a month. I liked that she trusted me enough to let me in, literally.

And of course, the trust went both ways. If not, I wouldn't have asked if I could stay with her either, right? So I was excited. So excited that when my eyes caught the warm chocolate orbs smiling back at me shyly while holding a really cute sign up, I couldn't help but to let out a squeal.

Because, lemme tell you, maybe it was the alcohol in my system, but the second thing that I noticed after I got out of the arrival hall at LAX – Santana Lopez had certainly grown up just fine.

* * *

Dear all,

I know, I know, it's been way too long! I'm so sorry about the lack of updates in the past month or so. :-(

In my semi hiatus, I kinda got a little ahead of myself and started up a cafe. Have been busy trying to settle the permits, renovations and everything else that comes with managing a business, things I'm sure you guys aren't interested in reading about. :-D

Apologies for having mistakenly thinking that I could update as freely as I'd have liked. I'll try to update daily from now on, as I've written some things down in the past few weeks that are just begging to be posted.

Hope ya'll are still with me. Thanks for reading.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

From what I remembered about Santana, I didn't think that she'd be the shy and quiet young woman that was seated next to me in the driver's seat of her car. I also didn't remember her to be so breathtakingly beautiful. Hmm.

I do remember all the emails being extremely long winded and the calls never having a moment of silence between each breaths. Santana had never seemed like the shy type. In fact, why we got along so well was because I had like her confident personality and her never say never attitude.

However, this Santana that was next to me right now was slightly jumpy to the point where I could almost compare her to my skittish cat back home with my parents. Oh, how I missed Lord Tubbington. Hope he forgives me for going away for so long.

So, I did what I did best when it came to the engulfing silence around me, I made sure to get Santana out of the mini shell she had created around me. It would've been an awkward month if she were to remain stone silent throughout the entire time I was at hers. What if she had changed her mind about letting me to stay? I was intent to not let that be the case.

We made small talk, mainly about her college and my travels in Europe, in the long drive it took for us to get from the airport to her apartment while I had snuck sneak peeks at Santana the entire journey. She had certainly matured nicely. Gone were the extra baby fats that were lingering around her petite frame. From what I remember, Santana back then was around the same height that Santana was now. Considering she was already 18, I doubt that she'd be growing any taller.

But that was ok, coz if I recall correctly, her frame fit nicely under my chin when she hugged me at the airport and it felt just fine. And, talking about hugging, her body pressed against mine certainly also felt more filled, if you know what I mean.

Before you know it, we reached her cosy apartment. It was barely noon, but since my last meal was about 6 hours ago, I was starving. That and the fact that I probably had a mini hangover to get out of. Well, since I hadn't slept yet since drinking on the plane, that would actually make me still drunk. Oh well. So, food was necessary.

Santana had also confessed that she had a late night out before coming to pick me up at the airport, so she was kinda starving as well. So she gave me a mini tour of her apartment and where I'd be sleeping, that was most important and apologized for the mess that I actually couldn't really see. I didn't peg her to be a neat freak, but I wasn't about to complain.

She took me to a diner just at the corner of her street and I ordered myself a large American breakfast set just to get me back into the American way of eating. Spending my uni days in NY had made me miss street food as well as cheap diner food when I was touring in Europe.

Santana and I fought for the bill, but as I reminded her, I was a working adult who was bunking with her while she was a student on a mere allowance. My logic was that she could definitely do her fair share of spending me meals when she could in the future. And I was certain that she'd be successful. She did have that spark in her.

My jet lag must've gotten to me coz when I was just about to finish my meal, I could barely keep my eyes open. Santana must've sensed it because she quickly downed her drink and stood up, offering me her hand to drag me out of the booth that we were seated in.

I grasped her hand in mine and followed her silently. Surprisingly in the short journey back to her apartment, her hand didn't leave mine at all. I found that I didn't mind it. In fact, I kinda liked it.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

For some absurd reason, after we had gotten back to Santana's, I had decided to take a quick shower to get the airplane grime off of me so that I could sleep comfortably. I also didn't feel comfortable enough to sleep in Santana's bed unshowered, especially after I heard that she had cleaned up her room before my arrival.

What I hadn't expected was the shower waking me up from my stoned/drunk state and leaving me much more energetic than before. In short, I was too awake to sleep, jet lag be damned.

So when I entered her room after bouncing out of the bathroom in just a towel (I never liked changing in the bathroom, it always made my clothes wet), Santana did a double take at me. I would assume that by the dropping of her jaw, she was surprised at my cheeriness and alertness, considering when I went in to the bathroom fully clothed to shower (it was okay to take my clothes off in the bathroom coz it didn't matter if it got wet since it was destined to go into the laundry basket anyway), I could hardly keep my eyes open. That had to be it.

When I gave her a sheepish smile and explained that I was too awake to sleep now, she rolled her eyes and trudged out of her room, shaking her head and mumbling something about how she was sure that I wasn't really 26. I shrugged and pulled my clothes out of my luggage and put them on.

When I finally left her room, I found Santana sitting infront of the tv with a cup of coffee in her hand and another presumably for me on the coffee table. I plopped myself on the couch and tucked my legs under me and accepted the cup she held out for me gratefully.

I knew why Santana made us coffee. While it had hardly any effect on me (I was naturally high on sugar anyway), Santana swore by it, judging from the times and amount of coffee she had when she needed to stay awake studying for her finals. So I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek to show my appreciation to her that she was trying to stay awake for me because I wasn't sleepy yet.

Hmm. Santana certainly did blush a lot.

Anyway, I settled comfortably on her couch while I watched silently as Santana picked up her remote control to the DVD player sitting beneath her TV set and clicked on it. She gave me a slight grin when she lifted up the familiar box set on the table and showed it to me. She shrugged and said it was apt considering we actually hadn't seen an episode of Xena together and since we had Xena to thank for meeting ...

I wasn't about to complain about spending a day watching Xena together with my best friend. So I stretched further in her couch and grabbed a pillow from behind me and hugged it close to myself while sipping on the coffee Santana gave me before setting it on the coffee table.

Santana clicked the TV on and raised her eyebrow when she saw my position on her couch. I barely shrugged my shoulders before pulling her closer to me on the couch. Her petite figure nestled closer to me on the couch before her head settled hesitantly on the pillow that was against my chest.

I could feel Santana's body tensing on top of mine. Without thinking, I starting trailing my fingers on her arm near mine. She froze for a while before relaxing a little. It wasn't until the starting credits that I could feel the weight of her body finally settling like a warm blanket on top of mine.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

The next thing I remembered was waking up in the middle of the night feeling a little disoriented. The TV showed the main screen of the DVD box set that I had gotten for Santana and I blinked sleepily at the digital clock on the wall.

I lifted my head and attempted to get up from the couch when I felt myself pinned down. Craning my neck, I realised that the weight on top of me wasn't of my usual pillow that I liked to hug, but was instead the short brunette that I was currently rooming with.

Well, in this case, it was the short brunette that I was currently rooming with who was using my boobs as a pillow. My eyebrows further lifted when I realised that my arms were linked loosely around the small of her petite frame. Huh. I wondered how that happened.

I drowsed for a while before I felt a sudden movement on my left. The body leaning on mine suddenly froze and I debated silently in my head what I should do in this situation. I could always pretend I was asleep to make things less awkward, but since we were friends, I reckoned that there didn't have to be a need for this.

So instead, I opened a lazy blue eye and regarded the slightly alarmed brown orbs looking back at me. Santana's mouth hung open slightly and she moved her body as if to get off me. I smiled slightly in response and tightened my hold on her. I shook my head before asking her if she was comfortable.

Santana lowered her eyes and opened her mouth to protest. I raised my eyebrow at her and she guiltily looked down towards the vicinity of my boobs and shyly looked at me before nodding. So I shrugged, the best that I could considering she was still half on top of me. I reasoned with her that I was fine with the cuddling, so why bother moving?

She opened her mouth once more to protest, but what came out instead was her telling me that her bed was probably more comfortable than her couch and judging from the way that my body was starting to complain, I couldn't agree more.

So we got out of the couch and I had to stretch to ease some kinks from my back. Santana stood shyly by me and smiled at me when she held her hand out and pulled me into her bedroom after I was done. I let myself follow her and we collapsed into bed, exhausted.

There was a moment of silence as we both lay on our respective sides – Santana closer towards the door and away from the window because she said she went to the toilet often at night and she hated the sunlight streaming in in the morning and me on the other side of her.

I weighed my options and decided that since I didn't have the extra pillow that I would usually like to hug when I fall asleep and the memory of how comfortable I was with Santana's weight on me earlier on the couch, it wasn't that hard to come to a decision.

I turned towards her and felt her do the same. Giving her a gentle smile as my eyes traced her face in the moonlight, I opened my eyes and beckoned her towards me with a nod of my head.

No words were spoken as Santana hesitantly scooted forwards towards me and settled herself against my side, my arms instinctively settling itself around her shoulders. Her head burrowed into my neck and we both let out a sigh at the comfort of another's touch.

I kissed the top of her head and smiled when I felt her smile into the crook of my shoulder. Tightening my arms around her lithe frame, I wished her a goodnight. I heard her mumble some words into my body as I felt sleep overtake me, filling my senses with the scent of Santana next to me.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

The next few days passed without any incident and I went along my getting-to-be-normal routine in LA with Santana. A few days after I landed and Santana was done showing me around town, I had a job to get back to. So here I was on the set of the video that I was supposed to be shooting with what's his face. And, from what I've seen these past few days, these superstars are never really on time, that is, if they even turn up at all.

Dance rehearsal was supposed to end in about an hour's time and so far we hadn't even done much progress considering the main star wasn't here yet. I had only met him twice in the week that we had started rehearsing. From the director's angry face, it would seem that we were a bit off schedule. I sipped from my water bottle and got in line as the director called the dancers back on the stage where we had been rehearsing.

And as expected, after a few angry bursts that weren't really directed at the dancers, the director dismissed us for the entire weekend, claiming that Nelly had some 'important matters' that he had to attend to and won't be joining us for the rehearsals that were scheduled that weekend. Oh well. That would probably mean more time for me to sight see then.

As I packed up and got ready to leave the studio, I decided to send Santana a text to say that I was coming back early and that she had better be decent when I got back home.

It was a running joke between us, really. In the first few days of me staying at her place, Santana must've forgotten that I was rooming with her coz when I came back early one day that rehearsal was cancelled, I had found her in just her underwear (read:panties) in the living room, using the vacuum cleaner as a microphone as she belted out some tunes in the diva style that I had accustomed to seeing from her whenever she got all musical-ly on me.

She had dropped everything she was holding and ran into the room cursing the entire time. I had basically laughed and told her jokingly that she had a nice rack and that if she'd like, I'd give her and the vacuum some private time if she needed to finish her session. She had come out all flustered and told me that since she was doing her laundry, she had decided to clean the house in her underwear in order not to dirty some more clothes. I found that reasonable enough but I took every opportunity to tease the brunette about it.

I had also told Mercedes about it after I had met the sassy diva the Sunday morning after I woke up entangled with Santana on her bed. Which was quickly becoming a natural occurrence between us each time we slept. Santana had taken to calling me a limpet ever since that night. I wasn't about to complain. Cuddling with Santana was fast becoming a daily routine that I enjoyed as well.

Anyway. I unlocked the door to Santana's apartment and put my bag down near the door where I could see Santana's hoodie was. I glanced around the house, trying to see if I could spot Santana and when I couldn't, I opened my mouth and let out a 'Honey, I'm home!'. Man, I've always wanted to do that.

And when Santana's head popped out of the kitchen with a roll of her eyes and a big smile, I smiled back and closed the door and walked to her open arms and gave her a hug. That, without fail, was the best part of my everyday life in LA.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Mercedes had told me that she was glad it was my skinny white ass that had found Santana that day instead of her, claiming that she'd have been scarred for life it it were her. I wondered how Mercedes could've not seen Santana's body, a fact that I had found kinda weird, considering in the short time that I've physically been with Santana, she seemed to be really open about her body, what with coming out of the shower half naked and sleeping in only her panties and a big shirt.

Yeah and about that, we also had a minor disagreement regarding sleeping attire. Santana and I were total opposites when it came to that. Like I said, she enjoyed sleeping in her panties and a t shirt, claiming that her babies needed air to breathe while I on the other hand liked to sleep in just a sports bra and shorts. Unlike her, my babies could still breathe just fine even in a sports bra. I did have a dancer's build after all and a big rack wasn't something I was gifted with.

So we came to a compromise that instead of being half naked from waist up for me and half naked from waist down for her, we decided to just be dressed when we slept, given the affinity we had to cuddling in our sleep. I mean, cuddling with your best friend was one thing, but when there's so little clothing involved, it becomes a totally different story. Which worked at first, really, but became a totally stupid idea after the LA heat had set in.

So now we were back to cuddling half naked. Which now has become not weird at all with Santana. Hmm. I wonder if that fact itself is weird. I bet if I told Mercedes about it, she would think it's weird.

Anyway. Santana had organised a 'Welcome to LA, Britt' BBQ party for me after I had told her that my rehearsals for the weekend was cancelled. It's kinda weird, really, considering that the party would really be just all of Santana's friends instead of mine. But if they were anything like Mercedes who I got along fabulously with, I was pretty sure that I'd enjoy their company just fine. Aside from the diva, I hadn't yet met any other of Santana's friends, given that it was now summer break for them and I was working the entire day. Ah, to be young again.

So anyway, on that Saturday, Santana, Mercedes and I had packed into Santana's car and bought everything we needed at the grocery store down the road. We had stocked up on all the sausages we could get our hands on, when they both had explained that the boys ate exactly like what they were - boys. We also bought a lot of wings and some steaks and and also some pumpkins and other weird vegetables that didn't exactly belong in a BBQ but Mercedes had insisted we bought since Rachel was going to be there. Rachel was a vegetarian, it seemed, unlike Santana who had joked that she was a vagitarian.

Oh, and we bought a lot of bacon as well. Like, tons of them. I suppose it wasn't a surprise then, when I found out that coincidentally, Quinn was going to be dropping by for a few days and was due to arrive that evening itself. As expected, Santana was a little edgy because of Quinn's unplanned visit. On the other hand, I was a little excited to meet Quinn again, considering that she was the only other familiar face besides Santana and Mercedes.

Anyway, we had spent the afternoon marinating the meats and packing it into containers to be brought over to Puck's place where the party was to be held there that night. The deal was the girls were bringing the food while the boys were providing the alcohol. Seemed fair enough considering that the boys were probably going to be drinking most of the alcohol anyway. But then again, they were probably going to be eating the majority of the food as well. Oh well.

When we left the apartment, Santana's demeanor had escalated from edgy to downright jumpy and I had to keep my fingers entwined with hers the entire journey to Puck's to calm her down. She stole a few glances at me through the rearview mirrow and I smiled to calm her nerves. To my surprise, it worked.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

When we arrived, the boys were just loading the kegs out of the pick up truck that belonged to one of them. There were a total of 6 other people there, 3 guys and 2 girls. And well, if you considered the skinny, pale and well dressed individual standing to the corner primping his hair as one of the guys, then there'd actually be 4 there. My guess was that he was Kurt.

Santana called them over after we arrived and Mercedes had given another brunette our Tupperwares full of food to be kept in the fridge and gave me the proper introduction to her little group of friends.

There was Kurt, the obviously gay one who gave me a limp handshake and air kisses to both my cheeks and said 'Enchante' like the French dancers I was friends with back in the troupe. As I mentioned earlier, he was also the one who was extremely over dressed for the occasion, what with it being a BBQ party after all.

And then there was the short brunette who Mercedes had passed our food to who pushed her way to the front of the group that was around me and gave me a really long introduction to herself. The only thing I really got from that long diatribe was that her name was Rachel and she had a huge nose. Oh and who wears an owl sweater to a BBQ party anyway?

I mean, I was known to mismatch my clothes on purpose but this chick really was kinda just weirdly over the top.

Moving on, there was a guy who's lips were so large that he had to be Sam Evans. I've heard Santana complain enough about him back in high school to know what he looks like and that Santana wasn't too fond of him, what with Quinn having a crush on him previously. Funnily though, Santana didn't mention that he basically looked like a male version of me.

There was a goth looking Asian chick who I thought was Mike's sister when she said her name was Tina Cohen-Chang. Which was weird, because I always thought that Mike had no siblings. She had really pretty blue streaks in her hair that I approved.

Next in line was Finn, who just sorta gave me a shy wave and gawked at my legs with what I could best describe as a constipated look on his face like as if he had ate some bad onions and was trying not to release air while standing in the group. But then again, that was just me. He was freakishly tall but cute enough. And with the way the short brunette – Rachel, was staring at him, I would've thought she thought the same as well.

Lastly, there was Puck, who, by Santana's description, fit my first impression on him perfectly. That and the really ridiculous mohawk that sat atop his head sorta clued me in on who he was. And, as Santana had warned, he gave me one of those looks that I've seen perfected on Friends by Joey. He even said 'How you doin'?' while trying to kiss my hand. Hilarious and so totally out of his league here.

I took his hand and shook it while turning to Santana, who was gripping her fingers tightly with her hand while looking at the interaction between Puck and me. I lifted my eyebrows at her and smirked and told her she was right. The group looked at me weirdly and that caught her attention for awhile and her eyes drifted to look at mine.

I let my hand drop from Puck's grip and ran my fingers through my hair. Turning to Santana, I told her that she was right and that it did in fact look like a dead squirrel on top of his head. The entire group laughed and I was glad to see Santana's eyes soften and her hands unclench.

And as Puck turned red while mumbling into the group while dispersing them to do their respective chores, I turned back to Santana and winked.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Finn and Puck finally got the charcoal lit after what seemed like forever while the girls were busy tanning themselves near the pool in whatever sun was left since it was almost dark out anyway. Sam had left shortly after we arrived to pick Quinn up from the airport which means that they should be back soon. From what I remember, the airport was just about an hour's drive away anyway.

I was a little surprised that Santana hadn't offered to pick Quinn up, given their history. She was sitting by herself at the edge of the pool, just dangling her legs in the water while nursing her bottle of Corona with a lime wedge inside it. I shook my head and giggled to myself. It was such a college student drink. Sometimes I forget how old Santana really was.

I walked over to her from where I had been sitting with Mercedes since Santana was sort of ignoring me for her own thoughts. I plopped myself down and nudged her legs to the side to make space for my longer ones. Santana's brown eyes drifted up slowly to meet mine. I gave her a smile and asked what was on her mind.

She shrugged and told me that she just had mixed emotions about Quinn coming here. I suppose I get what she means, if I was in her position, it would kinda be slightly weird as well. I know for a fact that while Quinn and her remained friends after their mutual break up, they hadn't really kept in touch that much since then.

Santana explained that she didn't know how to treat Quinn as just a friend. For the longest time, Quinn had been more than that and the time that they had spent as a couple was more than the time that they had spent being just friends. I mulled the thought in my head and gave her a semi hug while stealing a sip of her drink.

Santana gave me a small push and leaned into me and buried her head between my neck and my shoulder. It tickled slightly and I brushed her hair to the side before speaking to her. I told her to just treat Quinn the way she'd like to be treated by Quinn. They didn't have to be all stand offish with each other, but at the same time, they didn't need to be so close, you get what I mean?

I mean, Quinn didn't need to have anymore special treatment now that they're just friends, but it's definitely hard to suddenly just stop being someone's girlfriend when that was all that they knew how to do.

I suddenly had a thought. Santana could treat Quinn the way she treats me. I mean, I was just a normal friend, right? Maybe she should just ask herself if she'd do the same for me to sorta set a benchmark on how to treat Quinn? This all made sense in my head but when I was about to vocalize it out to Santana, I had another thought.

Or rather, I had a memory flood through my mind. A memory of Santana pressed up against me in sleep, with me hugging her from behind. Waking up and staring at Santana as she slept and brushing her hair from her face. Kissing her forehead each night as we snuggled and cuddled each other to sleep.

Huh. So maybe she shouldn't be treating Quinn the same way she treats me after all.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

As expected, when Quinn showed up, Santana became even more tense. However, with the help of a few more well timed (and by well timed, I meant they had shotgunned the damn beers like the teenagers they were) Coronas and Puck's awesome timing at shots, I suppose even Santana (who could hold her alcohol in like a boss) had loosened up one way or the other.

I had spoken to Quinn after she arrived and caught up a little with her. Aside from Mercedes and Santana, I was kinda the odd one out and Quinn, while being Santana's ex, still remained a friendly and familiar face in the crowd of Santana's friends. Like Santana, it was obvious that Quinn had also completely moved on from their relationship but was still a bit weirded out seeing her ex.

Currently, Santana was actually dancing with Quinn in the makeshift dance floor that they've constructed up in the hall leading towards the pool. Well, if you could count the entire act as dancing. Let's see, they both had an arm loosely wrapped around each other, while the other was holding on to another never ending bottle of beer. It looked more like as if they were leaning onto each other for support. From where I was standing, it looked at though Santana was on the verge of tears and Quinn just looked ... angry?

Now, I've been to a lot of parties back in my time – lookit me sounding all adult like – and from what I can see brewing between Santana and Quinn right now on the dance floor, it probably wouldn't lead to anything good.

The fact that both of them had multiple shots after the round of Circle of Death we had played earlier after finishing off the BBQ-ed meats, surely didn't help things much either. I could see Mercedes already slumped off at one corner with Sam while Rachel was already snoring on Finn who was on the couch.

Puck was on his guitar with Kurt and Tina drunkenly singing at the top of their voices and that left me sitting by the edge of the pool just people watching. I checked my watch and realized it was just slightly past midnight. I glanced over at my empty cup next to me and decided that since I was probably the one driving home tonight, I had better stop drinking to get myself sober enough to drive.

Tying my hair into a pony tail, I shrugged out of my top and shorts and folded it neatly beside my cup and took a deep breath before plunging headfirst into the pool. The cold water instantly sobered me up and I felt myself shivering slightly in response. I treaded water and decided to go for a few laps to warm myself up.

After a few laps, I could feel a splash beside me as I swam back towards my clothes. Popping my head out of the water, I saw Santana's head right next to mine, her eyes struggling to focus on mine in her drunken state. I cocked my head to the side and watched her as she shivered pathetically in the water with all her clothes still on.

I looked around and noticed that Quinn was now slumped on Puck while Tina and Kurt had decided to fall asleep on the lounge chairs where they were perched on earlier. I sighed and swam back towards my friend in the pool.

As I got closer, I realized that the moisture running down from her face wasn't just due to the water from the pool. True enough, Santana was a weepy drunk and I could hear her hiccupping and mumbling something about how no one loves her and how she's all alone and why didn't it work out with Quinn?

Santana let me gather her in my arms as I rubbed her arms to keep her warm while she clung onto me for dear life. It just occured to me that Santana didn't really know how to swim. I vaguely remember something about her disliking water and the pressure it had on her lungs when she was underwater.

Standing up straight, I put an arm around Santana's knees and another around her shoulders and lifted her gently into my arms. In the water, she weighed almost close to nothing. As I got up from the water slowly carrying Santana, I realized that on land, she did weigh close to nothing as well.

I held on tighter as she wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in the crook of my neck. She was still shivering slightly, but was much more sober and sombre than she was earlier and I kissed the top of her head and reassured her that I've got her now.

Brown eyes met mine from close proximity and Santana just looked into my eyes without blinking. Something clicked inside me and I realized at that instant : Santana's got me as well.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

It was a little after 2 am when I finally managed to get both Quinn and Santana back into Santana's car. Mercedes didn't help much, considering she was more or less passed out as well, but at least she was sober enough to be able to walk back to the car without much help from me. That, and the fact that she had Sam to lean on the entire journey.

After strapping the 3 of them in – Mercedes dozing in the backseat together with Quinn and Santana in front, with her head leaning against the window, I finally started the engine and got going. I'm glad Santana had a GPS installed in her car – she once told me she could easily get lost in a shopping mall, go figure – because I surely as hell couldn't remember how to navigate around L.A. enough to get ourselves home.

After driving in circles before figuring out how to use the GPS, I finally made my way on the right track to Santana's house. It took a mere 15 minutes after I finally figured out how to use the damn thing. After that, it took another 15 minutes to wake the drunkards up to walk up the short path it would take to go up to Santana's 3rd floor apartment.

Luckily Mercedes had sobered up enough to be able to let Quinn lean on her all the way up the stairs as I had Santana to take care of. Since Quinn was visiting, I also had her small backpack to bring up along with semi carrying Santana.

Speaking of which, Santana had become a dead weight after dozing off in the car and I was carrying her bridal style up the stairs, which wasn't really an easy task with Quinn's backpack slung across my back. Nevertheless, I still managed to by pass the other 2 who looked like they were crawling up the stairs instead. Weird, but I would've thought that walking up stairs when you were drunk was enough to sober you up.

I shook my head and gently let Santana down in front of her door and dug around my pockets for the keys that Santana had entrusted me with. Blurry brown eyes peeked open to look at me as Santana tried to look around at her surroundings. While I opened the door, she cocked her head to the side and asked if she was home. I nodded as I threw the door open and gestured her in.

She took one hesitant step towards the open door and stumbled slightly as she squeezed passed me. Since my reflex was awesome, I managed to grab a hold of her before her head could meet the floor in her drunken haze. It almost looked as though I was dipping her during a dance. Hmm. Guess it wouldn't have hurt much even if she did fall flat on her face in this condition.

Anyway. That was how Santana ended up in my arms, her face buried in my chest. She lifted her head to look up at me and opened her mouth to speak. She was looking at me from a super close proximity and it was then I realized that our positions were awkwardly intimate for 'just friends', which was what we were. Right?

At that precise moment, Mercedes and Quinn decided to make their way into the apartment.

* * *

**Author's Note :**

Sorry about the wait, guys. Life has been really busy for me lately. Hope you're still enjoying the story! Thanks for reading. :D


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